Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 205 Dense Fog
The Bridge of Heroes?
The members of Class 7 followed Tazuna into the mist, and as they listened to his explanation, they finally understood the significance of this cross-sea bridge.

A ninja stranded on a deserted island and a group of bridge builders saved a country from destruction; they were both remarkable heroes.

Everyone secretly admired him, but only Hui Li stared at Naruto's back with an inscrutable expression.

This bridge was originally supposed to be called 'Naruto Bridge', but due to her butterfly effect, it was completed five years ahead of schedule and became known as Hero Bridge.

"So, is Gato's gang making a comeback now?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.

“That’s right.” Tazuna’s head drooped. “After the Bridge of Heroes was completed, the economy of the Land of Waves fully recovered. Gato and his gang, who coveted the bridge, tried to invade several times, but they were all repelled by that ninja. We didn’t pay any attention to them.”

But just a week ago, they claimed to have hired a powerful ninja to retake the Land of Waves. We thought that ninja would continue to protect the Land of Waves, but we discovered he... has disappeared.

"...disappeared?"

Naruto exclaimed in surprise. He had originally wanted to meet this legendary hero ninja. Sasuke and Kakashi were also somewhat disappointed, but it wasn't surprising. Given the current state of the Land of Waves, if that ninja were still here, they probably wouldn't be the ones carrying out the mission.

"He is indeed missing. He probably left in a very hurry and didn't have time to pack his things at home. The only thing he took was the big knife that he never parted with."

Tazna spoke slowly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Gray, as if observing her expression.

"So what was that ninja's name?"

Hui Li naturally noticed Tazuna's subtle movements, and she vaguely guessed who it was, but she still couldn't quite believe her guess.

When faced with Gray's question, Tazuna hesitated slightly. The man had clearly told him not to casually reveal his name to others, as it could easily cause trouble. However, after spending the past few days together, he had gradually figured out the temperaments and personalities of these people.

They shouldn't be bad people!

Thinking of this, he glanced at Hui Li's face and said cautiously, "He said his name is Zabuza, and he's a wandering ninja."

Zabuza?

Naruto and Sasuke immediately recognized the name and remembered that yesterday, when Hai Li asked the ninja in the coffin about it, the name had been mentioned, and there seemed to be a girl named Haku.

Kakashi also took a deep breath of mist. He never expected that the mysterious ninja who saved the Land of Waves would be Zabuza Momochi, one of the legendary rogue ninjas of Kirigakure and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!

It is said that when he graduated from the Ninja Academy, he killed all his classmates, forcing Kirigakure to change its class division rules. He was an absolute super killer, but unexpectedly, he became a hero after defecting.

But how did Gray Glass know that?

Question marks popped into everyone's minds as they looked at the mysterious Gray Glass with suspicion.

“I once met him in the Water Kingdom.”

Hui Li was also unable to provide detailed answers to everyone's questions. When she heard that Keisha had rescued a water-style ninja more than five years ago, she had already made a guess in her mind. Who would have thought that it really was Zabuza?

While fleeing the Land of Water, she had just consumed the flesh of the Three-Tails, greatly increasing her strength. She wanted to cross the ocean currents to reach the Land of Fire via the "Hope" ship, but she discovered the chakra fluctuations of two Kage-level beings on board and did not dare to board the ship, returning to settle accounts with the casino owner.

Zabuza and Haku unexpectedly boarded the ship.

It is estimated that a tremendous battle occurred halfway through the voyage, resulting in the destruction of the ship and Zabuza's possible serious injury, leaving him adrift with the ocean currents.

Whether it was fate or some strange attraction that this country held for Zabuza, he drifted to the island of the Land of Waves, nestled between water and fire, and became a hero who protected the country.

Appearing in the same place at different times, yet the results are completely opposite.

I'd only ever heard of heroes turning into dragons, but I never imagined a dragon would become a hero! Hui Li could only marvel at the strangeness of fate.

"Did you see a girl with him?" she still asked, unwilling to give up.

Carefully observing Gray's expression and seeing that she seemed to have no ill intentions towards Zabuza, Tazuna didn't hesitate as before and quickly replied:

Absolutely not!
He had drifted ashore alone, covered in wounds and poisoned; had it not been for everyone's concerted efforts to save him, he would have perished long ago. There's no way he would have ended up with a girl.

"Ok."

With her hopes of acquiring Ice Release dashed once again, Hui Li could only helplessly accept this fact.

While they were talking, the group had already entered the middle section of the bridge.

The waves rolled and crashed against the shore, the sound of the water never ceasing.

The fog billowed behind them, making them feel as if they were walking on clouds, and when they looked back, they could no longer see the path they had come from. The fog in front of them dissipated slightly, and they could vaguely see a huge black shadow lying silently in the fog, like a mysterious beast.

"Uncle Tazuna, are there any special requirements for entering the Land of Waves?" Hai Li had already activated her Byakugan, her deadly eyes piercing through the clouds and looking ahead.

“Huh? There are no requirements.” Tazuna was taken aback, wondering why Gray would ask such a question, but still answered honestly, “This bridge was originally built to facilitate trade and transportation between the two countries. Anyone can cross it freely without paying any fees.”

"Hmm, then it seems the people ahead don't belong to the Land of Waves," Gray said slowly, gazing into the distance.

What do you mean?
While everyone was still wondering, a series of footsteps came from ahead.

Kakashi and the others hurriedly turned around, only to see the ninja shoes shatter the clouds and mist, and more than a dozen dark figures rushed out of the bridge. The three leading figures were extremely fast, and in just an instant, they had widened the distance between themselves and the others behind them.

The sea was shrouded in thick fog, and they could only make out the faces of the people who had approached them.

Dressed uniformly in black with hoods, they exuded a menacing aura. Beneath the headbands of the rogue ninjas, marked with a horizontal line, were pairs of cold, sharp eyes that sent chills down one's spine.

No need to ask.

These people are definitely the same group that attacked Dazna at the border!

"It's Konoha ninja that Tazuna brought back, one woman and three men. Quickly notify Boss Kurosuki, everyone else come with me!" The rogue ninja in the middle of the three leaders squinted his eyes, and his expression immediately became serious when he saw Kakashi and the others' Konoha headbands.

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

As the undisputed strongest ninja village, Konoha's ninja strength is absolutely not to be underestimated.

As for those seemingly naive children in the opposing team, ninjas who look down on children and women in the ninja world usually die a terrible death.

"Yes!"

The shorter ninja on the left paused slightly, then turned around to return to the mist.

hum!
A familiar buzzing sound flashed past Tazna's ears, and he shuddered. He subconsciously looked at Gray Glass and found that the other person was still hanging down with his hands and expressionless. Only his lips and teeth slightly opened and closed, and thick mist twisted and extended outwards.

"Liangxi!"

The roar echoed through the mist.

The rogue ninja who gave the order looked terrified and stared blankly behind him. His comrade, who was supposed to go back and report, continued to carry out the order as usual, walking towards the Land of Waves. Only the head on his neck was gone.

Seemingly hearing the leader ninja's shout, the rogue ninja named Ryoki stopped and turned to look at the captain. Before he could fully turn around, he crashed onto the bridge with a loud thud.

Roll... The head, with its intact cut, rolled across the bridge, blood flowing freely from the cut, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi were very familiar with Hai Li's methods, but they thought she had changed her ways because she had cultivated herself and rarely made a move in the past five years. They never expected that she would reveal her true colors as soon as she went on a mission.

Only Tazuna was unaware of Gray's temperament and was deceived by her appearance, thinking that he had been ambushed by the enemy and had lost control of his actions in the heat of the moment. Only now did he realize that the other party's methods were so ruthless.

Thankfully, I didn't say anything bad about the other person before!
"That girl is a Wind Release ninja, be careful to use Hardening Technique for defense!"

The leader, with his rich combat experience, made a quick judgment. He and another ninja were enveloped in a glow, as if their bodies were coated with a layer of metallic paint.

At this moment, the dozen or so men in black arrived. Seeing the convulsing corpse at their feet, their charging steps came to an abrupt halt. They were wearing masks, so their expressions were not visible, but the fear in their eyes was almost palpable.

Seeing that the people behind him had stopped, the leader of the rogue ninja frowned, and with another ninja, he shrank behind the crowd, clearly intending to use everyone as a shield.

"They don't seem to be ninjas."

With his eyes turning bloodshot, Sasuke looked at the dozen or so men in black in front of him. Only the two ninjas huddled at the back had chakra glow. Although they seemed to outnumber the others, they were actually just a group of ordinary people.

"Naruto, Sasuke, take care of the enemies ahead. Hairi, be careful to protect Uncle Tazuna!" Kakashi scanned the area with his Sharingan and quickly gave tactical instructions.

Hui Li had no interest in killing ordinary people. He swallowed the wind-style chakra he had gathered in his mouth and stood in front of Tazuna as usual.

"Yes!"

"give it to me!"

Finally able to show off his skills, Naruto immediately became excited, pulled out his brass knuckles from his pocket, and a gust of wind that terrified Tazuna gathered on his fist.

"The art of multiple shadow clones!"

Boom boom!

Countless orange-red figures filled the wide bridge, with many even standing on the outer railings. The large number of ninjas standing in front resembled a uniformly dressed army, which was reassuring to look at.

Clang!
The blade is drawn.

To conserve chakra, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, his crimson eyes locking onto the crowd before him. With a powerful stomp, he charged into the fray, his blade flashing as blood splattered everywhere, screams echoing. Naruto rushed forward, making the numerous enemies appear particularly weak.

Tazuna watched the two rush into the crowd like tigers among sheep, and then looked at Kakashi and Kairi standing guard beside him. He suddenly felt that he had really spent the money!
"The fog is very thick here, so my Sharingan isn't working very well."

"Kurosuki Raiga is an elite Jonin from Kirigakure; he must be proficient in silent assassination techniques. Kairi, you need to scout carefully and watch out for him trying to ambush Uncle Tazuna!"

Seeing the thick fog on both sides of the bridge, Kakashi and Kairi sandwiched Tazuna between them.

Ninjas don't care about morality. Raiga Kurosuki is very strong. If he were to ambush Tazuna from hidden in the mist, Tazuna might not be able to stop him. He would definitely need Kairi, who is both a sensory ninja and a medical ninja, to assist him.

"Don't worry, the fog can't block my senses."

As she spoke, Hui Li had already fully activated her Byakugan. The so-called dense fog was completely pierced through by the 360-degree pupil power. However, the unusually dense fog under the bridge made her body pause slightly.

This is……

The veins around his eyes climbed up, and his Byakugan could see that the mist contained a large amount of chakra, but his pupil power was always blocked by the strange mist, making it impossible for him to see through it.

The Byakugan is the origin of all eye techniques, which sounds impressive, but it's not.

This eye technique cannot distinguish between transformation techniques and shadow clones, nor can it penetrate barrier techniques or sealing techniques. Its weakness is very obvious. Its true strength lies in its infinite evolutionary potential. The eye technique it comes with is actually not worthy of its name.

"what happened?"

Noticing that Hui Li's expression was unusual, Kakashi immediately asked anxiously. In front of such a master as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he had already put away his usual laziness.

"nothing."

After carefully examining it for a moment, Hui Li gently shook her head, but the corners of her mouth curved into a beautiful arc. The chakra fluctuations in the thick fog did look somewhat familiar.

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Kakashi did not press her. Since Hui Li's perception was not disturbed, he stopped monitoring the fog outside the bridge and focused on the slightly intense battle ahead.

The ordinary people standing at the front had all fallen to the ground, leaving only the two rogue ninjas locked in combat with the two.

With Naruto's signature roar, his iron fist, imbued with wind-style energy, slammed into the abdomen of the leading rogue ninja. The terrifying force sent the man's body hunched over, like a boiled shrimp.

The sharp knuckle duster, combined with Wind Release, slashed at the man's lower abdomen, but was blocked by the Hardening Technique, sending sparks and fragments of dirt flying.

"Go to hell!"

The man suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

Although he was nearly broken apart by the heavy punch, he did not suffer much injury thanks to the superior defensive power of Earth Release and the resistance of chakra to blunt force.

He raised the blade in his hand and slashed fiercely at Naruto's neck. If hit, Naruto would instantly be separated from his body, just like the ninja who was beheaded by Hai Li.

Naruto, without dodging or avoiding, frantically poured chakra into the brass knuckles, wearing down the hardening technique on the opponent's body.

The Wind Release technique failed to break through the hardened surface, but the sharp blade sliced ​​directly across Naruto's neck.

His body paused slightly, and dust exploded rapidly. Before the rogue ninja could react, a terrifying force came from his back!
boom!
Unable to distinguish between his true form and a clone, Naruto delivered a terrifying flying kick that slammed into the back of the rogue ninja. The man was powerless to resist, and his head smashed through the railing and fell into the sea.

Zizi!

A dazzling lightning bolt illuminated the white mist. Sasuke's crimson eyes met those of the rogue ninja. Watching the other's pupils contract, he slowly plunged his katana into the enemy's chest.

The so-called Hardening Technique could withstand Wind Release, but it shattered upon contact with extremely concentrated lightning. Due to the elemental advantage, he killed the enemy with almost no effort.

Why are they all Earth Release ninjas?
Hui Li sensed that something was wrong.

The ninjas who attacked them from outside the Land of Fire used the Earth Release: Fish Reflection Technique to launch a surprise attack from underground. Now, both of them can use the Hardening Technique. Even though they are on an island, all of them are ninjas using Earth Release.

Only Raiga Kurosuki is a Lightning Release ninja.

Thunder and Earth?
She suddenly looked at the unusually dense fog under the bridge. These two attributes clearly countered ninjas who were skilled in water-style techniques. In addition, Raiga Kurosuki was also one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. This was too targeted!
What exactly did Zabuza do to Gato that made him hold such a grudge?

"Don't, don't kill me!"

"We surrender!"

The ordinary people lying on the ground took off their masks, their faces bruised and swollen, and kowtowed for mercy. It was clear that Naruto and Sasuke did not kill these harmless people.

"You...you are Morton?"

Tazna recognized the black-robed man kowtowing on the ground and took two steps forward before asking in surprise.

(End of this chapter)